Foundations of Faith

Heb. 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The Church of Christ - Matt. 16:18

Jesus Christ - Jn. 3:16

The Inspiration of the Scriptures - 2 Tim. 3:16-17

The Existence of God - Heb. 11:6

Psa. 11:3
If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

The Existence of God

Heb. 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The Created World

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His
handiwork," (Psa. 19:1). God has revealed Himself through His
creation.
The more one studies and observes the natural world, the more one can see the glory of the Creator.
The more an evolutionist studies this world, the more difficult his theory is to prove.
One has to turn his back on myriads of scientific evidence in order to hold the view of atheistic evolution.
As with every effect, there is a cause; so with the existence of the universe there must be a cause for its existence.
Suppose a person had never seen a pocket watch and he walks along a beach and finds one in the sand.
Would he think that it just evolved from particles and dust into the intricate piece of machinery that he has in his hand?
No, he would know that somewhere there was someone who designed and built this watch.
It is the same with our world. We can study its design. We can admire its beauty.
And we can be sure that it was no cosmic accident that brought it into being!
We can see the glory of God in His glorious creation (Rom. 1:20).

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The Inspiration of the Scriptures

2 Tim. 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Bible

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony
of the
Lord is sure, making wise the simple," (Psa. 19:7). God has
revealed
Himself through His written word. Through the study of His perfect word
we can learn more about our perfect God. One might ask, "How do you
know
if the Bible is the word of God? And how can you be certain that it is
not filled with errors?" These are common questions and are readily
answered. We are certain that the Bible is from God for several reasons.
(1) It contains no contradictions even though it was written over a long period of time and by many different men.
Although it addresses a variety of subjects, it possesses a unity and harmony of thought that proves that it can only come from one mind,
the mind of God. (2) It contains detailed prophecies of events which were given hundreds of years before their occurrence. For example: Isaiah spoke of the fall of Babylon at least 150 years before its occurrence (Isa. 13:19-22; Dan. 5:26-28). (3) It claims inspiration and perfection for itself (notice 2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; Jas. 1:17; Jas. 1:25). The Bible is the inspired revelation of God which teaches us of Him and of His blessings.

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Jesus Christ

Jn. 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The Sin Problem and The Remedy

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and the
consequence of sin is spiritual death, that is, having a severed relationship from God (Isa. 59:2), which ultimately leads to
eternal punishment (Rom. 6:23; Rom. 5:12). However,
God has given mankind the gift of eternal life by taking on the form of
a man (Christ, Jn. 1:1-14; Phil. 2:7),
living sinlessly (Heb. 4:15),
and atoning for our sins by giving His life (Rom. 5:8-9;
Jn. 3:16). We now have access
to this gracious gift of God by faith through Christ (Rom. 5:1-2), that is, we can
be saved (from eternal punishment) by
an obedient faith in
Him, and showing our love and appreciation for He who first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19;
1 Jn. 5:1-3).

Son of Man and Son of God

In order to bridge the relationship once more between man and God, the Son of God took on the form of man (Jn. 1:1-14; Phil. 2:5-11).
Because He is fully man and fully God (Jn. 10:30; Jn. 14:7; Col. 2:9; Micah 5:2), He completely understands the nature of both, and can mediate between us (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:17).

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The Church of Christ

Matt. 16:18
...on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Upon accepting the grace of God (Rom. 5:2), being saved, one is then added by God to His church
(Acts 2:47),
the body of Christ (Col. 1:18) and is considered a Christian.
He or she
must then live a faithful life, that is, live according to the
pattern set forth in
God's Word to the best of his or her ability (1 Jn. 1:7).

His Kingdom Foretold

The church, also identified as the kingdom of Christ (Matt. 16:18-19),
would be established in the days of the Roman Empire
(Dan. 2:44),
in Jerusalem (Isa. 2:1-3), signified by the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28). This prophecy would
be fulfilled in the first century.

His Kingdom Fulfilled

As foretold, the church was established during the reign of the Roman Empire, on the day of Pentecost, in
Jerusalem, where the power of the Holy Spirit was
poured out (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:16), through which the apostles
were given the ability
to miraculously communicate with people of all nations.
These marvelous events took place in the year 30 A.D., and have "conveyed us into the kingdom"
(Col. 1:13; see also Mark 9:1), marking the beginning of the church and the Christian age.